Isles Anomaly, Junk Mail and Gifts for DiPietro

A post that is long overdue. Actually I started it last month but never finished it, sounds like ADD to me....right Angie? Anyway, it's not often that I see hockey being represented in general, with the marketing of sports products. Baseball, football, basketball, heck even soccer, all seem to have presence in stores (although one really can't bounce a puck) but this past Christmas season at the Union Square Holiday Market not only did I find a hockey ornament but dum dum dummmm an Islanders ornament! 

What are the chances of that? Uh, slim to none. Beyond its mere existence is the 'prestigious honor' of being sandwiched between a Yankees and Giants ornament, although the Giants guy looks like he's doing some kind of yoga pose and well the Yankees guy seems to be having an attachment issue with the ball. I say 'prestigious' because compared to those two teams, one would expect to have to whisper to the sales person who would then lead you down a long hallway into a dark cobwebbed room for Isles merchandise in NYC. And yes I cropped out the Rangers ornament. 

As fate, or my strong dislike for the Flyers karma would have it, I arrived home after leaving the market only to find this postcard in the mail! 

Guess I was on the naughty list this year and received the NHL version of coal. Seems when you buy tickets to see the Isles play the Flyers in Philly, you are somehow added to the list. 

Lucky me. 

Yes I could have used the paper shredder but knowing that tearing paper is a good sublimation of anger/aggression...VOILA!! 

And now onto the Isles...what can be said that every other Isles blogger hasn't already said and at this point repeated. Not much. Lots of changes going on, injuries galore and overall I see a team trying to make the best of it while 'livin' the dream'. The Lighthouse project rumor mill continues and has recently surpassed the Iphone coming to Verizon rumor mill that was shut down a few weeks ago. My prediction still stands - that a new arena will only be built when a new Islanders owner comes along. Maybe one of these days I'll have enough time to get into details about that prediction but for now it's a ongoing game of chicken between the Town of Hempstead and Charles Wang.

One consistency we've seen this season albeit not a great one, is the peek-a-boo drama of Rick DiPietro. In response to his on again-off again love affair with playing in the NHL I'd like to offer these pseudo-blog gifts which might contribute to his ability to show up on the ice consistently...

This first is a lovely invention that might help him stay in or around or near his net.

If the standard issue isn't acceptable to Mr. DP, perhaps one that is more user friendly would do:

And last but not least a gift for overall protection...bubble wrap. Perhaps this might fit nicely under his pads and such to provide some cushioning to his boo boos and prevent new ones. 

Ahh the things I could have done to this blog post if only I knew Photoshop. 

Nobokov gives the middle finger to the Isles, Moulson signs for 3 years...tune in tomorrow for the next episode of...As The Isles Turn.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!

Rick DiPietro Getting Ready for Tonight's Game

Rumor was he almost missed being in net tonight due to not being able to find his inhaler.



LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!

A Look at the Isles...

So, I've been incredibly lax and MIA in blogging this season, and I hope you forgive me. I've pieced together most of my Isles info from The Hockey News, Twitter, the NYI website and some very blurry feeds on channelsurfing.net. I tell you, being an Isles fan in Buffalo is not the greatest. *sigh*

Anyway, I just took a look at the Isles' player stats, so I figured I'd make some observations. Here goes.

• John Tavares is the leader of the pack, with 13 goals and 14 assists for a grand total of 27 points. Not bad, considering around this time last year he was mired in a slump that pretty much killed all chances of him getting a Calder nod. I think if he can keep on pace and fix his awful plus-minus (currently a team-low -15), he'll get up to 30 goals or more.
• Matt Moulson has a team-best 14 goals, as well as 7 assists. Great pace for another 30-goal season, if he can keep his hot streak up! I don't think there's any doubt about this guy anymore- he's gritty, he's smart, and he works well especially with Tavares and PA Parenteau.
• Speaking of Parenteau, he's kind of tapered off since his hot start, but he still taps in a good goal every now and then, and last game I saw him in (on a line with MM and JT) he was excellent, making great plays that turned into either scoring chances or goals. Seems like he has good chemistry with those two, which is good to see.
• Josh Bailey started off on top of the stats chart, but now has 10 points total (6 G, 4 A). However, since coming back from his time in Bridgeport, he's been a lot more confident on ice. He had a three-point night against the Devils and has since been fairly quiet, so it's up to him to start charging to the net more and getting those pucks in.
• Rob Schremp has equaled his goal total (7) from last season in the beginning of January, so it's safe to say he's developing well and anything after this point will be considered an improvement. He's got wicked hands- time to put them to use.
• Milan Jurcina, who's just received a contract extension with the Isles for one more year, has the best +/- on the team- a 1. Not extremely impressive, but at least there's some good news. If he can stay healthy and become an anchor for the blueline in Mark Streit's absence, it'll be even better.
• Two semi-disappointments: Doug Weight and Rick DiPietro. Both have struggled with injury, so it's understandable that they haven't had the best numbers; however, both also play key roles in the Isles' system- Doug as captain, Rick as the main man in net now that Dwayne Roloson has (sadly) departed for Tampa Bay. Doug has doubled his goal total from last year, but with only nine points, and now out with a back injury, you have to wonder if he might be done completely. And Rick, now battling an adductor muscle strain (hip) and a question mark for tonight's game in Edmonton, has a 3.45 GAA and .889 save percentage. Not wonderful numbers if you expect him to shoulder the load now. Kevin Poulin has been recalled from BPT on an emergency basis, so if Rick can't go, expect him and Nathan Lawson to see a bit of ice time.
• Lawson, meanwhile, has been solid in relief. In a 5-2 win in Calgary, after DiPietro bowed out, he made 28 saves and allowed one goal to hang on. While some say Poulin is better, I personally don't see anything wrong with either of them- even though, granted, Calgary have had their own issues on the ice lately.

That's pretty much all I've got. Isles play the Oilers tonight- puck drop at 9 p.m. I hope to catch this one online, but if not... hellooooo, nhl.com highlights.